


Just for Practice

by methurpleasee



Category: Harry Potter - Fandom
Genre: Boys struggling with having fEeLiNgS, Denial of Feelings, First Time, Friends to Lovers, Hogwarts Eighth Year, Kissing, M/M, Multi, Oblivious Harry, Original Male Character - Freeform, Practice Kissing, Stupid Draco
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-02
Updated: 2020-04-10
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:41:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,086
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23438629
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/methurpleasee/pseuds/methurpleasee
Summary: Draco’s only asked Harry to teach him how to kiss, so he can impress the new eighth year boy at the Valentine’s Ball.Honest.
Relationships: Harry Potter/Draco Malfoy, Ron Weasley/Hermione Granger
Comments: 11
Kudos: 36





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This story is inspired by my Drabble ‘Is this Okay?’.  
> I wasn't planning on writing anything else surrounding this trope anytime soon, but I need something to do while we’re in Lockdown, or I honestly think I might go crazy.  
> Also I know this is super short but it’s just an prologue.  
> Any mistakes/spelling errors are my own and all rights go to J.K Rowling.
> 
> Hope you enjoy, and thank you for reading!:)

___

Draco’s never been sure about the exact moment for when he first realised he was attracted to men, and men only.

Maybe it was when he kissed Pansy for the first time in 4th year and all he could think about was the Potions homework that was due in the next day, that he still hadn’t started.

It could have been when he walked in on Blaise wearing a towel and nothing else in 5th year, water dripping down his toned chest, and nearly swallowed his tongue. 

Or earlier, In 2nd year, when an older slytherin brought in a few inappropriate magazines and all Draco could think about was the waste of champagne, as one of the scantily clad models poured it down her body, instead of how ‘great her tits looked’. 

Draco's never been sure of when he first realised but ever since he saw Harry Potter’s lips for the first time, in Diagon Alley, men had just become so much more attractive then women to him. 

Whether they were snarling and shouting, or god help him begging with Draco, Harry’s lips mesmerised him. 

Too bad he’d never get to feel them against his own.

___


	2. Chapter One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new boy arrives at school. Everyone won’t stop going on about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Wow thank you to everyone who read the (hella short) prologue, just wanted to give you a feel for what this story is going to be about. I’m writing this as I go so posting times may vary but I’m hoping to have chapters up every week or so. 
> 
> I’m really not sure how long this is going to be yet though! All spelling and grammar checked by me. If anyone reading this would be willing/knows someone who could check the chapters for me though that would be amazing, I feel like I always miss out huge mistakes when I check it myself. Just drop me a comment or message if you can :) 
> 
> p.s yes the song at the start is Dilemma by Nelly ft. Kelly Rowland.

no matter what I do  
all I think about is you

___

Draco was pretending not to stare at Harry’s thighs, when Hermione and Pansy come rushing in to the Eighth Year common room, giggling and whispering to each other.

Out of everything that had happened since the end of the war last year, those two becoming friends was definitely the weirdest. Although, Draco was sat on a sofa next to the boy who lived right now, their legs mere inches apart, so really he couldn’t say anything. 

Harry was also looking over at the two girls with narrowed eyes as they got closer to the corner they were in.

Great, Draco thought, one of the only free periods I have with only Harry and they’re bloody well interrupting it. Finally, both girls arrived, sitting on the sofa opposite them, both smiling like the cat who got the cream. 

‘Hey guys, what’s up?’ Harry said, the suspicion clear in his voice. With that they both burst in to giggles again, covering their mouths but still receiving a few glares from other students in the room.

‘Aren’t you supposed to still be in Transfiguration?’ Draco added, rolling his eyes at their childish behaviour. 

‘Yes but Professor Fudge let us out early, but guys there’s a new boy in our year!’ Pansy explained, grinning wildly. Draco wasn’t ashamed to admit his ears pricked up at the mention of some possible eye candy. 

Only about fifty people from their year had decided to come back and repeat eighth year after the shambles that was the year before, so someone new was bound to create a bit of a buzz. Especially because the new student was joining three months in to the year. How had he managed that?

‘I’m guessing he was in your last class?’ Harry asked, smiling at the both. 

‘Yes, and oh my god Harry he’s a dream!’ Hermione sighed. Pansy was clearly rubbing off on her, Draco couldn’t help but think if this had happened before Granger would have had her nose tucked in a book- far too busy for a boy. 

Draco leant back on the sofa, his arm resting on the back of it. The fact it was on the side Harry was sitting was a mere coincidence. ‘So, details come on.’ He said, growing impatient. 

‘He’s got brown hair and such a lovely smile.’

‘And his muscles guys, honestly-‘

‘He was so nice too, and funny!’ 

‘You spoke to him? What’s his name?’ Harry said, saving Draco the trouble of asking. 

‘Matthew Myers, but he told us all to call him Matt, says he used to live in the US before his Dad got a job for the ministry over here or something. And I forgot- his accent is just the cutest thing.’ Pansy explains, nodding at the memory of it. 

‘I bet the girls were all over him.’ Harry said, looking down at his Potions homework absentmindedly. 

‘Yeah they were.’ Hermione said, her and Pansy exchanging a glance and smirking. Harry and Draco did the same, realising quickly that they didn’t want to know what they were thinking about. 

‘Okay...well I look forward to meeting him I guess.’ Harry said, before adding a few words to his essay, scribbling them out quickly afterwards.

Pansy eyes Draco closely, and he raises his eyebrows back at her challengingly. ‘What do you think Draco, like the sound of him?’ 

Draco shrugs, not sure what he should say. Brunettes with nice smiles are my type I suppose.

Instead he says ‘Yeah he sounds alright. Just glad there’s gonna be something that makes coming back worthwhile.’ The others all roll their eyes at his cynicism but he just grins looking back down at his homework too.

The girls start talking to each other quietly, and both boys start to get back to work. Draco can’t help but glance over at Harry’s dishevelled hair, sticking up from where he’s pulled at it and his lips which he’s currently biting.

Draco can’t help but wish those were his teeth instead. 

Even though he wants him to, Draco doubted this new student could compare to Potter. No one ever has.

___

In Draco’s defence he hadn’t been planning on going back to Hogwarts and actually becoming friends with Potter. He’d always admired him from afar, praying that no one would catch on that he was infatuated with Harry bloody Potter. It had taken him a few years to except it himself. 

During the war he’d known what He Who Must Not be Named and his Father were doing was wrong, but he knew the consequences would be dire if he betrayed them. And he couldn’t exactly expect his classmates, who he’d spent the last six years feuding with to help him.

So he was secretly glad when they lost. 

Expecting to be sent to Azkaban along with his Mother and Father after the war when they were arrested, he hadn’t even planned anything, in case he wasn’t sent away. That all changed however, when Potter stood at his trial and defended him and his actions. Draco hadn’t been able to believe it. 

Because of this and mainly this, Draco believed, he was spared and had to watch his Mother and Father get locked away. Although, it was only his Mother he felt truly sorry for. His Fathers soul had died a long time ago.

A few weeks after the trial he’d met up with Blaise and Pansy, in the privacy of Pansy’s home of course. In public they still weren’t popular- the war and the deaths it brought with it still raw. It was at this meeting that his friends told him they were returning to Hogwarts. 

‘McGonagall’s said anyone who fought in the war can come back and retake their seventh year, and it’s not like I’m going to be able to do much else right now.’ Pansy said frankly, as Draco stared at her, mouth agape. She had a point. They would struggle to get jobs at the best of times without great N.E.W.Ts, but no respectful employer would want anything to do with them now. Draco still had big dreams of becoming a Healer, thinking he may even be able to realise them now his Father was no longer pulling the strings.

So they all agreed they’d return together- it would be better to deal with the glares and whispers they received at Hogwarts as a team, then alone in the Wizarding world. 

Draco was just glad he’d been allowed to keep most of his belongings after the trial.

___

If he found himself regretting his choice every other day, Draco really didn’t see how he could be blamed.

Sat next to Ron in Muggle Studies (and why they were making them do this again he didn’t know), he glared at the seventh years sitting at the front of the class, idly chatting away. Usually he wouldn’t care but they were all talking about the new boy -who Draco still hadn’t seen. 

Ron seemed to be getting equally as frustrated, but more at the questions they were answering, then at the students conversations. If you’d told Draco he’d happily be sitting next to one of the Weasley’s this time last year he would’ve laughed. Hard. Maybe even till he cried.

But Draco, Harry, Blaise and Ron had all been roomed together this year. Probably the teachers forced attempt at building bridges, Draco had always suspected. They needn’t of bothered though. Draco had been meaning to call a truce with Harry ever since he got back on school grounds, knowing he owed owed him for his freedom. 

All four boys had been standing in their dorm unsure of what to say, when Draco had decided to bite the bullet. Harry had looked at him, surprise clear on his face, when Draco had stepped forward, reaching out his hand. ‘I understand this is a lot to ask, after everything I’ve done, but I’d like it if we could...try and get along.’ 

Ron and Blaise’s eyes flitted between them, tension thick in the air. 

Instead of laughing in his face, like Draco had expected, Harry had given him a small smile and taken his outstretched hand. ‘Yeah, I’d like that.’ He answered sincerely. The room seemed to let out a sigh of relief as the other two boys started to bustle around, nabbing the best beds, leaving Harry and Draco with the two furthest from the door- three feet apart. 

Draco let go of his hand trying hard to ignore the tingling sensation he felt. Fuck. He thought he’d gotten over that a long time ago.

‘I never got the chance to thank you for that day at the Manor. You probably saved my life.’ Harry said, his half smile taking away from the severity of that statement. Draco really didn’t feel like he deserved his forgiveness. 

‘You likewise for my trial. I think we saved each other.’ He said, not being able to take his eyes off of Harry. The latter nodded, smiling fully at him now.

The moment is broken when Ron calls Harry over asking him which poster of the Chuddley Cannons would look better above his bed. Harry rolls his eyes, shrugging, and slowly walks over to him, Draco watching him go. 

He tries to ignore Blaise’s eyes which were boring in to the side of his head. 

After this careful encounter both groups of three slowly became a six. Harry and Ron convincing Hermione to give them a chance, and Draco and Blaise doing the same with Pansy.

‘If we can all get along, anyone can.’ Ron had said, after the third time they’d hung out and the girls had completely ignored each other.

As soon as Hermione realised Pansy also wanted to be a auror in the future and had a muggle born grandma, who Draco had not known about, they became good friends and by Halloween that year all six could be seen working and chatting by the firelight in their common room, much to the shock of their classmates (and teachers).

Up until the new boys arrival their friendship had been the juiciest bit of gossip so far this year (yes- it had been that boring.) Over these part few months Draco had begun to be able to read the three ex-Gryffindor’s well. Ron was the easiest and he could always see when he was in the right state of mind to be distracted in class.

This was one of those moments, as he squinted down at the question about vacuum cleaners on his page. ‘So,’ Draco started, leaning over so their teacher couldn’t see them talking, ‘have you seen this new boy yet then?’

Ron looked at him and replied ‘Nah, just heard a lot about him from the girls like you. I hope he’s not too good at Quidditch.’ He adds clearly worried about his place on the team.

Draco sighed. He didn’t dislike Ron, in fact he found him quite tolerable most of the time, but all he thought about was Quidditch. Honestly.

‘I doubt he will be Ron- he’s American. It’s not very popular there,’ Draco says carefully, trying to keep the snigger out of his voice.

‘Oh yeah, I forgot about that!’ Ron said, clearly relieved. Cattermole was telling off the Seventh years at the front of the class, all quickly beginning to write again, cheeks red from embarrassment. Ron and Draco silently, mutually agreed to get back to work. 

During their break, they’d worked out Pansy and Luna had Herbology with their new classmate this period, the former extremely excited to see him again. Draco couldn’t help but wonder how Blaise felt about that. He’d been sure there was something between them ever since Draco had told him he didn’t fancy her back in fourth year.

Glancing at the clock, Draco saw they still had fifteen minutes until Lunch. He wasn’t even hungry, just wanted to catch a look at the mystery boy. He willed the clock to go faster and flipped his page over. 

___

Draco had always loved the din of the Grand Hall. Packed with students, lunch time was always the busiest; knives and forks clinking against plates, students shouting down the tables, desperate to be heard over one another. A makeshift table had been set up on the right side of the Hall to accommodate the eight years and Draco sat alone at it, having arrived to Lunch first. 

Personally he liked getting their first, as he got to decide where they sat and got first dibs on the food. But nobody else needed to know that. 

He’d just started tucking in to a slice of apple pie, when Luna, Pansy and Harry walked in, a scowl on Pansy’s face. Harry sat next to him, giving him a smile as he reached for a bowl of salad. Draco glances at Pansy who stares at her empty plate forlornly. 

‘Not hungry Pansy?’ Draco questioned, Luna eyeing her and sighing along with Pansy. 

‘The new boy, Matthew, she tried to ask him to go out with her in Herbology but he wasn’t interested.’ She explained, Pansy letting out a sad squeak as she said the word interested. Well, Draco thought, at least Blaine would be pleased.

‘Why not?’ Harry asked. Draco couldn’t help but wonder why he cared.

‘She’s not his type. He’s Gay.’ Luna says cheerfully, before asking another eighth year to pass her the potatoes. Draco almost chocked on the piece of pie in his mouth, while Harry’s eyebrows raised dramatically.

‘All those poor girls, their hearts will be broken.’ Ron says from behind them, fake sadness on his face as hits sits on the other side of Harry, both laughing at the sour look Pansy shoots in his direction. She turns to Draco eyebrow raised.

‘At least one of us has a chance now.’ She says, Draco trying hard to not blush. He’d been out since after the war, had grown tired of hiding it. His friends and Mother had been surprisingly supportive of him, but the same couldn’t be said for his Father. But Draco had pretty much been dead to him since he hadn’t been able to kill Dumbledore. So it hadn’t really mattered.

But the whole group was looking over at him, and he knew he had to say something.

‘I guess I could give him a try, but he’ll have to work fast It’s not like I’m short of offers.’ He said sarcastically, Luna letting out pearly peels of laughter while the rest of the group rolled their eyes at him, Harry hiding a grin. Obviously people weren’t queuing round the block to date an ex death Eater, surprise surprise. It probably didn’t help that he was still a virgin though.

They all tucked back in to their food Harry and Ron starting to complain about the amount of Potions homework Slughorn had given them, when a hush fell on their side of the Hall. 

A boy Draco didn’t recognise was walking past their table, pushing back his brown curls as he took the Hall’s beauty in, smiling down the table at someone he recognised. His sleeves were rolled up, muscular arms bulging under the thin fabric, and Draco felt his mouth go dry as he wondered if he had six pack to match. The whole group couldn’t help but go quiet and stare as he walked past, along with most of the hall it would seem. 

So this was Matthew Myers.

It took Draco a second to realise the boy was looking right at him, grey eyes meeting electric blue. The boy seemed to check out the part of Draco that was above the table, before grinning and carrying on, sitting about ten students down.

He could see Harry staring at him too, weariness faint in his eyes. Draco had always wondered if Harry had been Gay. Him and Ginny called it off pretty quickly after the Battle, blaming their whirlwind romance on mutual need and familiarity. Since then he hadn’t had a girlfriend. But Draco guessed it was only a matter of time. 

Slowly the Hall went back to normal, Draco’s friends turning back to their meals. ‘See? Didn’t I say he was hot.’ Pansy sayid her scowl replaced with a smirk. He hated it when she was right.

‘He’s definitely something alright.’ Draco replied, glancing at Matt again. He found Matt already looking at him, with the same on his face. Draco smiled back and nodded, turning back to his group quickly. No one else was paying them any attention so they didn’t see Harry’s wounded expression when he turned back to him. What was his problem, Draco thought.

He’d spent many afternoons last term sneaking out of fifth period with Harry, Ron and Blaise, listening to them rate the girls in the pub they were in on a scale of one to ten. (Wow, Draco had thought. Boys really are disgusting.) Watching Harry give all the blonde girls tens had been torture. 

Looking between the two boys, that were so similar yet so different, an idea begun to form in Draco’s head. One that might just help him finally get over Harry Potter. 

And get some in the process.

___

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok just a few things:
> 
> 1\. I’m not going to lie to you I looked up ‘what teachers are teaching at Hogwarts after the battle’ and the names I was given were the ones I used.  
> 2\. Also I had no idea what to write for the eating scene, trying to come up with interesting food was surprisingly the hardest part of writing this.  
> 3\. Please don’t tell me I got the name Myers from a serial killer character, for some reason it was the first one to pop in my head. 
> 
> Hope you liked! Don’t worry the boys will be kissing soon ;) 
> 
> See you next time.


End file.
